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Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter
Real Name: Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter Aliases: Christopher Chichester, Christopher Krowe, Christopher Mountebatten Wanted For: Questioning Missing Since: 1985 Case Details: Christian Gerhartstreiter is wanted for questioning in the disappearances of John and Linda Sohus, acquaintances from San Marino, California. In May 1994, during digging for a pool, the skeleton of a man was found buried in the yard of a home in San Marino, California. Police and family members believe it belongs to John Sohus, but since it is believed that he was adopted, there is no way to make an identification using his family DNA. On February 8, 1985, he and and his wife, Linda, disappeared after telling their friends that they had been enlisted by the government to do some top-secret work. Shortly after they vanished, friends and family started receiving postcards from them in Paris, and John's mother, Didi, was given exclusive information from a man she called her "source" about how they were on a "secret mission". At first, she was reluctant to give police any information about her missing son and daughter-in-law, but eventually decided to file a missing persons report. She also told police that her source was the Sohus' former tenant, Christopher Chichester, and that he had vanished a few months earlier, along with John's pickup truck. Three years later, Didi passed away without knowing what happened to her son. Nine months later, John's truck turned up in Greenwich, Connecticut, when a man named Christopher Crowe was selling it to a minister's son. Police later found out that he was actually Christopher Chichester. However, by that time, he had vanished again. It wouldn't be until May 1994, when the skeleton was found, that the investigation began to start up again. Forensic tests could determine that it was probably John's, but without DNA or dental records, they could not conclusively prove that it was his. Detectives used luminol in the guest house on the Sohus property, which determined that someone was probably murdered in there. However, both John and Linda remain missing. The police would like to track down Christopher Chichester and ask him a few questions. It is unrevealed if Linda is alive after orchestrating her disappearance or likewise murdered with John. Police have since determined that his real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, and that he is from Germany. He was born in 1961, is 5'8", and 150 pounds. Extra Notes: The case first aired on the January 13, 1995 episode. The case was also documented on 48 Hours, Dateline, and Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall. Results: Captured. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was apprehended in 2008. He was using the alias Clark Rockefeller and was arrested right after he abducted his seven-year-old daughter. Over the years, he had conned friends and even his ex-wife into believing he was a part of the wealthy Rockefeller family. Authorities plan to reopen the investigation of the Sohus case now that his parental kidnapping trial has concluded. He was sentenced to four-to-five years in state prison on the kidnapping charge, and additional time for an assault charge. He has, however, refused to cooperate with police in their investigation of the Sohus case. In March 2011, he was charged with John's murder. Police report that evidence found confirms that the skeleton found in the backyard of the house was actually John Sohus. On April 10, 2013, Gerhartsreiter was convicted by a Los Angeles jury of first-degree murder for that of John. However, Linda has never been found, but police believe that she is dead. Links: * Christian Gerhartsreiter on Wikipedia * The true story of ‘Clark Rockefeller’; San Marino residents reminisce * Ex-girlfriend recounts Rockefeller impostor's paranoia * John Sohus murder: fake Rockefeller found guilty of killing newlywed * Rockefeller impostor gets 27 years to life in California murder ---- Category:California Category:1985 Category:1994 Category:Murder Category:Disappearances Category:Captured